Drive device

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a drive device, particularly for doors, garage doors, etc., comprising a guide device, particularly a rail or guide rail, extending in movement direction of the door. The invention is characterised in that the feed means comprises a first insert body which can be plugged at the ends of the guide rail into this and is provided with a connecting cable and which is held at the guide rail end and constructed in such a manner that it fulfils its function not only at one end of the guide rail, but also at the other end of the guide rail.

The invention relates to a drive device according to the introductorypart of claim 1.

In known devices of this kind the feed means can be formed as a dragcable or consists of a connecting cable and current conducting railswhich are connected therewith and guided parallel to the guide rails andat which the current for the electric motor is taken off. Moreover, itis also known to arrange a traction means longitudinally in the guiderail and retain it at the ends thereof as well as to use this chain ascurrent feed means for an electric motor which runs along on a carriageat a guide rail. The traction means in that case obtains the drivecurrent for the electric motor by way of a tightening device mounted atone end of the guide rail for the traction means. The operation with adrag cable is very disturbing for the user, whilst in the cases of thecurrent rail feed and the current-conducting traction means the currentfeed is possible only from one end of the guide rail, in the vicinity ofwhich the mains socket necessary for the current feed is arranged. Ifthe drive current is to be fed from the other end of the guide railbecause the socket lies in the vicinity thereof, then the current feedat the guide rail has to be changed in expensive manner, if not even twoembodiments of the guide rail are needed and have to be kept in storage.

The object of the invention consists in creating a drive device of thekind stated in the introductory part of claim 1 which makes it possibleto use one and the same type of guide rail for the current feed not onlyfrom one end, but also from the other end of the guide rail withouthaving to take into account substantial conversion operations for thisfreedom of choice.

This object is met by the features of claim 1.

The drive device according to the invention has the advantage that theguide rail can be adapted to the location of the socket which is presentby mere replugging of the first insert body.

According to a further construction of the invention a second insertbody without connecting cable is provided at the guide rail ends andable to be plugged into these, the construction of the second insertbody otherwise corresponding with that of the first insert body and thesecond insert body being arranged at that guide rail end lying oppositethe guide rail end provided for the first insert body.

A further construction of the invention relates to a drive device inwhich the current feed means comprises the guide rail itself and atraction means, which is connected at a guide rail end with a connectingcable by way of a traction means tightening device. This construction ischaracterised by the fact that the first insert body carries a contactbody contacting the guide rail. The otherwise usual clamping connectionof one cable connecting wire with the guide rail is thus avoided.

According to a further construction of the invention the first or secondinsert body comprises a first part carrying the traction meanstightening device and a second part forming an encircling abutment forthe guide rail end. The traction means can therefore be mounted insimple manner.

According to a further construction of the invention the first part andthe second part are integrally connected together. The insert body cantherefore be produced as a simple plastics material injection-mouldedpart.

According to a further construction of the invention the second part hasbores serving for the ceiling, wall and lintel fastening of the guiderail. The insert body at the same time serves as a support point for thefastening of the guide rail.

The invention is now explained in more detail by reference to an exampleof embodiment, wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a side view of a drive device according to the inventionwith a connection from the side remote from the door,

FIG. 2 shows a side view of a drive device according to the inventionwith a connection from the side facing the door,

FIG. 3 shows an enlarged view of the guide rail, which is shown in FIG.1, from below with insert bodies, connecting cable, traction means andrail fastening means,

FIG. 4 shows an enlarged view of the guide rail, which is shown in FIG.2, from below with insert bodies, connecting cable, traction means andrail fastening means,

FIG. 5 shows an enlarged perspective view of a first insert body in useaccording to FIGS. 1, 3 and

FIG. 6 shows an enlarged perspective view of a first insert body in useaccording to FIGS. 2, 4.

In FIG. 1 a part of a garage, namely a lintel 1 and a ceiling 2, isshown, to which a guide body—here a guide rail 3, preferably a railwhich is C-shaped in cross-section, is fastened. A carriage 4 which isconnected by way of a pivotably connected rod 5 with the door leaf 6 ofthe garage, runs at the guide rail. The end 7 of the guide rail 3 remotefrom the door leaf 6 is closed off by a first insert body 8 which can beplugged, whilst the end 9 of the guide rail 3 facing the door leaf 6 isclosed off by a second insert body 10 which can be plugged. The firstinsert body 8 carries a current connecting cable 11 which opens at theother end into a control housing 12. The control housing 12 is pluggedinto a socket, which is not visible and which is arranged in therearwardly disposed part of the garage.

In FIG. 2, which is similar to FIG. 1, the first insert body 8 and thesecond insert body 10 are interchanged after turning through an angle of180°, so that now the end 9 is closed off by the first insert body 8 andthe end 7 by the second insert body 10. In this case the control housing12 is plugged into a socket, which is not visible and which is arrangedin the forwardly disposed part of the garage.

In FIGS. 3 and 4 these two operating cases of FIGS. 1 and 2 areillustrated in more detail with respect to the guide rail 3,particularly profiled rails, wherein FIG. 3 is associated with FIG. 1and FIG. 4 is associated with FIG. 2. In these figures the first insertbody 8 has a traction means tightening device 13 and the second insertbody 10 has a traction means tightening device 14, wherein thesetraction means tightening devices each comprise a respective hook oranother part, which locks the traction means by mechanically positivecouple, for example in bayonet-like manner, and allows tool-freefastening and detaching of the traction means without use of anadditional traction means lock and which comprises an adjusting deviceadjusting the hook in rail longitudinal direction, as is shown, forexample, in these FIGS. 3 and 4 by the hook 15 and the adjusting device16. A traction means 17 is tightened between such hooks 16. Thetightening device 13 and the traction means 17 are connected with a wireof the current feed cable 11. A gearwheel, which is not illustrated, ofthe electric motor arranged on the carriage 4 engages in the tractionmeans 17, the drive winding of the electric motor thus obtaining currentover the path covered.

The first insert body 8 is illustrated in more detail in FIG. 5. Itconsists of a substantially block-shaped body of two interconnectedparts 18, 19 integrally produced from plastics material in theinjection-moulding method.

The first part 18 carries the traction means tightening device 13 withthe hook 15 and the adjusting device 16, a cover plate 20 also servingfor retention relief of the current connecting cable 11 and, laterally,a contact 21 which is provided for the contacting of the other wire ofthe current connecting cable 11 with the guide rail 3, so that the drivewinding of the electric motor is connected by its other pole with theconnecting cable 11 over this path.

The second part 19 has a somewhat larger cross-section than the firstpart 18 and thus forms an encircling abutment 22 for retention of theplugged-in insert body 8 at the ends 7, 9 of the guide rail 3. Thesecond part 19 has at the end face an opening 23 for access of theadjusting device 16 and, laterally, two bores 24, 25 which serve forfastening of the guide rail 3 to the lintel 1 (see FIG. 1). As FIGS. 3and 4 show, this fastening can be carried out by means of brackets 26,27. A further fastening point of the guide rail 3 is a bracket 28, whichis fastened to the garage ceiling 2.

FIG. 6 shows the turned first insert body 8 at which the abutment 22 canbe clearly recognised.

The second insert body 10 is preferably constructed just as the firstinsert body 8, but the connecting cable 11 is absent at it. In addition,the cover plate 20 and the contact 21 can be absent. Stock-keeping cantherefore be confined to a single type of the insert body. In the caseof change of the first insert body 8, the second insert body 10 isexchanged therewith.

1. A drive device for a door, comprising: a guide device, comprising arail, extending in a movement direction of the door; a carriage to movealong said guide device and comprising an electric motor, to causemovement of a door leaf, and further comprising a current feedconnecting the electric motor with a current source, the current ofwhich is supplied at one end of the guide device, wherein said currentfeed comprises a first insert body to be plugged into an end of theguide device and a connecting cable, said current feed being arranged tobe capable of being used at either end of said guide device.
 2. Thedrive device according to claim 1, further comprising: a second insertbody without a connecting cable, said second insert body having a formcorresponding to that of said first insert body so as to be plugged intoan end of the guide device into which said first insert body is notplugged.
 3. The drive device according to claim 1, wherein the currentfeed means comprises said rail and a traction means, the traction meansto be connected at one end of said rail with a connecting cable using atraction means tightening device, and wherein the first insert bodyfurther comprises a contact body to contact said rail.
 4. The drivedevice according to claim 3, wherein at least one of the groupconsisting of the first insert body and the second insert bodycomprises: a first part to carry the traction means tightening device;and a second part to provide an encircling abutment (22) for an end ofsaid rail.
 5. The drive device according to claim 4, wherein the firstpart and the second part are integrally connected together.
 6. The drivedevice according to claim 4, the second part has bores to be used forfastening said rail.
 7. A drive device for a door, comprising: a guidedevice extending in a movement direction of the door and having twoends; a carriage that moves along the guide device and comprising anelectric motor for causing movement of a door leaf, further comprising acurrent feed to connect the electric motor with a current source,wherein the current feed comprises a traction mechanism and a firstinsert body to be plugged into the guide device, wherein the firstinsert body includes a traction mechanism tensioning device with apositive interlocking part to lock in place the traction mechanism. 8.The drive device according to claim 7, wherein the first insert body isto be inserted optionally into either end of the guide device.
 9. Thedrive device according to claim 8, further comprising a second insertbody having a traction mechanism tensioning device with a positiveinterlocking part to lock into place the traction mechanism.
 10. Thedrive device according to claim 9, wherein the traction mechanism istensioned between the traction mechanism tensioning devices of the firstand second insert bodies at the ends of the guide device.
 11. The drivedevice according to claim 7, wherein the traction mechanism comprises achain.
 12. The drive device according to claim 7, wherein the positiveinterlocking part for at least one of the traction mechanism tensioningdevices is bayonet shaped.
 13. The drive device according to claim 7,wherein the positive interlocking part of at least one of the tractionmechanism tensioning means comprises a hook.
 14. The drive deviceaccording to claim 7, wherein the guide device comprises a guide railthat forms a component of the current feed.
 15. The drive deviceaccording to claim 14, wherein at least one of said first and secondinsert bodies comprises: a first part to carry the traction mechanismtensioning device; and a second part to form an end stop at an end ofthe guide rail, the second part having an opening to permit accessing anadjustment device of the traction mechanism tensioning device.
 16. Thedrive device according to claim 15, wherein said adjustment deviceenables the positive interlocking part of the traction mechanismtensioning device to be adjusted in a longitudinal direction of theguide rail.
 17. The drive device according to claim 14, wherein thefirst insert body further comprises: a connecting cable; and one or morecontact elements to make contact with the guide rail.
 18. The drivedevice according to claim 17, wherein the traction mechanism tensioningdevice and the traction mechanism are connected to a first lead of theconnecting cable.
 19. The drive device according to claim 17, the firstinsert body further comprising a cover plate to provide traction relieffor the connecting cable.
 20. The drive device according to claim 17,wherein at least one said contact element is connected to a second leadof the connecting cable.